(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to garment hangers, and more particularly to an improved molded clip assembly for positioning on a molded garment hanger and the like.
(2) Prior Art
Commercially available hangers formed of plastic materials have essentially replaced garment hangers fabricated out or wood, and are generally comprised of a plastic body portion and a metal hook. The hook may be pivotally secured to the body to enable the body to swivel with respect to the hook. Examples of hanger structures including a plastic body and a metal suspending hook are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,406,883 (Crane), 3,282,481 (Maxwell), and 3,407,979 (Patch). All-plastic garment hangers are also commercially available and many have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,067,917 (Reller et al.), 3,116,860 (Urich), 3,209,966 (Wach), 3,463,369 (Moskowitz), 3,570,729 (Zuckerman), 3,897,893 (Lemmenes), 3,963,154 (Schwartz et al.), 3,973,705 (Erthein), 4,040,546 (Liebscher), and 4,074,838 (Blasnik et al.). Among the aforementioned patents, the patents to Schwartz et al., Liebscher, and Blasnik et al. each disclose all-plastic hangers having swivel hooks.
Conventional garment hangers also frequently include pinch-type jaw clips arrnaged to be located at various positions along a cross-bar to hold trousers or skirts on the hanger. Examples of such hangers are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,378,578 (Oskow), 2,496,531 (Gray), 2,546,717 (Beetlestone et al.), 2,617,568 (Pechtel), and 3,950,829 (Cohen). Such plastic hangers do achieve various design goals, however suffer from one or more drawbacks, such as complexity of construction, difficults of assembly, limited utility, limited durability and ruggedness.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,838 to Bish, there is disclosed an all-plastic hanger comprised of a swivel hook and all-plastic clips. Each plastic clip is arranged for ready assembly and releasable securement to the cross-bar of the hanger or to any other rod-like element having a longitudinal axis, and is comprised of a pair of jaws formed of a first plastic material and resilient bias means formed of a second plastic material. The second material has a higher tensile strength than the first plastic material. Each of the jaws is a generally planar memeber comprising an enlarged first end portion defining a finger grasping opening, an intermediate portion, and a second end portion including a projection extending normally to the plane of the jaw member. The intermediate portion includes an arcuate recess for receipt of a portion of the periphery of the cross-bar or other rod-like element. The bias means is a generally U-shaped member having a pair of outwardly flared legs, each of which is arranged to engage a respective one of the jaws to hold the jaws on the cross-bar or rod-like element so that the clip can be readily slid therealong and pivoted thereabout.
Such plastic clips were difficult to mount on the hanger arm since the jaw members could move longitudinally (i.e. up and down) with respect to each other, and did not remain securely assembled, notwithstanding the presence of the resilient bias member subsequent to assembly and during bulk storage. Additionally, such clip configuration did not permit assembly on a hanger arm by automatic machinery particularly when considering the lack of integrity of the assembled components as a result of the interrelationship between the location of the locking recess on the jaw member with respect to the projections of the resilient bias means. Still further, such a clip required the use of intermediate devices, e.g. spacer bars in the form of dowls, rods, etc. when mounted on merchandising cards.